Early the next morning, I got up and told Jack that I had
decided to take him up on his offer to help with my girls. So we woke
everyone up so we could pair them up.

"Cherry and Blink, youse two will be sellin' tageta. Freckles youse
are sellin' wit Davey. Sketch yer wit Specs. Melody, Racetrack will
be sellin' wit youse. And Midge, since Red knows ya, yer wit Shorty
and Mush. Stay tageta an' we'll meet at Tibby's afta sellin'
papes." said Jack.

"Well thats everyone but Saff. Who's gonna sell with her? She needs
protected the most."

"I will." Replied Jack as he smiled at Saff. "Red wouldn't dare try
anyting wit me round."

The way Saff and Jack were looking at each other I could tell
they liked each other. I could also tell the rest of my girls liked
their partners too. I just hope that they don't fall in love or
they will be heartbroken when we have to leave.

"OK now thats everyone. Now we can go sell our papers." I said as I
started walking out the door.

"Wait Pallet! Dats not everyone. What about youse?" asked Sapphire.

"I'll be fine Saff. I can take care a myself." I replied smiling at
her.

"No, you need a sellin partna too." Said Saff.

"No, Really, I don't."

"Saff's right, Pallet. Youse need a partna too. Who wants ta sell wit
Pallet?" Jack asked looking at the rest of his boys.

"I will Cowboy. I'll sell wit Pal." Spot said with a smirk.

"No that's alright. I really don't need ta sell with anyone. I'll be
fine really."

"Please Pallet… Please…." Pleaded all my girls looking at me.

"Oh Fine!" I sighed. "But if HE gets in my way of sellin' I'm goin'
off by myself." I yelled walking out the door with Spot following.

Spot and I walked to the circulation desk and both bought 100 papes and got selling. For two weeks, my girls and I lodged at the boys' lodging house and continued to sell papers in the protection of the boys, without any trouble from Red. Unfortunately, that wouldn't last into the third week.

It was the beginning of the third week and Spot and I bought and sold our hundred papers like usual. When we finished, we headed to Tibby's to meet up with everyone else, arguing with each other along the way. We were the last ones to arrive so we headed to the booth where Saff and Jack had saved us some seats. When I sat down I noticed that Jack had his arm around Saff's shoulder.

"Heya guys. How did yer day go?" asked Jack.

"It would be better if Spot would stop provoking me like he does everyday."

"Pallet, I think Jack meant your sellin'…" Spot smirked.

"I know what he meant… It was fine, Jack. "

"That's good." Replied Jack.

"Yeah I guess… Uh… Saff could I talk ta you for a minute?"

"Yeah sure Pallet. I'll be back Jack." Said Saff smiling at Jack.

"Ok hurry back." He replied.

"Saff, What's goin' on with you and Jack?" I said as we sat down in a
booth on the other side of the room.

"What do ya mean?" Saff asked.

"What's goin' on with you two? He's acting like your his girlfriend."

"Um….Dats cause….uh…I am…" she replied.

"When did this happen?"

"Well actually dat night when I was hoit. He came up ta check on me foa
youse and we stawded tawkin' and den fore everyone came up he asked me
ta be is goil and I said yeah." She explained.

"Saff you shouldn't get involved with anyone right now, especially one
of these boys."

"Pallet, Jack's sweet and he wouldn't hoit me. Plus youse shouldn't
be tawkin'. What bout youse and Spot?" she asked.

"What about me an' Spot? What are you talkin' about?"

"You an' Spot. Youse two were out late da first night we were here and den youse two
go sellin' tageta. Seems like youse two are goin' out." She said. "An' I've nevah seen any two people argue so much."

"Quoi! That's stupid. He doesn't even like me an' I don't like him
neither. An' what does arguing have ta do with liking him? Usually when people argue they don't likes each othah"

"How do ya know he don't likes ya. Did ya ask im?" she replied.

"No I didn't ask him. I jest know. Plus look at him he flirts with every
girl he sees. If they are of the opposite sex an' have boobs, he flirts with them." I said to Saff pointing towards Spot.

"So a lot a boys floit wit girls even if dey likes someone. Maybe he
tinks youse don't like im, dats why he does dat." She said.

"I don't like him Saff. Please can we get off this subject? I was
jest wonderin' bout you two. K?"

"Sorry Pallet. Dint mean ta get ya mad." Saff said.

"It's okay Saff. You can go back an' sit with Jack. Tell them that I'm
goin' ta our Lodgin' House ta talk ta Mrs. McFargo about why we've been gone so long. I'll be back at the boys Lodgin' House tanight. I'll see you later." I said as I started to walk out the door.

"Pallet you can't go out by yerself. What if youse run inta Red? He
might kill youse.." Saff said concerned.

"Saff I'll be fine by myself. Don't worry." I told Saff with a smile.

So I headed to our Lodging House on the other side of
Manhattan. The whole way there I had thought about what Saff had said
about Spot and I. How could she think I was his girl, of all things
and that I LIKED him? He was too egotistical. I had to admit though,
he had the most gorgeous eyes and smile I've ever seen and he
listened when I talked. OK, so maybe I do like him but I couldn't
tell anyone that, especially my girls. They might tell Spot or even
one of the other boys and I would get seriously teased about it
forever, especially by Spot and Jack, and I would never be able to
show my face again. I had been so caught up in thinking about liking Spot, that I
hadn't noticed Red and some of his boys coming out of the Girl's Lodging House, until I heard them start talking.

"Heya Red! Deys ain't in dere. Dat McFargo lady said she ain't seen
dem fer a couple a weeks." Said one of the boys.

As soon as I heard them start talking, I tried to hide but it was too
late, they had seen me coming.

"Heya sweetface! Whatcha doing out ere by yaself so late? Somebody
might kidnaps ya an' take ya home wit im." Said a curlyheaded boy
with a smirk on his face. As he and the other boys stepped closer, I
realized I had heard that somewhere before. Then I remembered one of
the boys that soaked me the night before Saff was soaked had said that.
They were those boys!

"Hey I knows ya. Yer one a Sapphires friends. Uh….Pallet, isn't
it?" Red said with an evil grin. "Ain't youse also dat goil dat we was soakin' fore dat Spot Conlon came ta save ya?"

"Wouldn't you like ta know?" I said as I turned to leave.

"Hey where youse tink youse goin'? Get back hea!" He said as he
grabbed my arm. "Youse are! An' if I memba right, youse kicked me in
da stomach. I owes ya fer dat." Red said smirking and leaning in
closer to me. Before he could do anything, I punched him in the face
and tried to run, but one of boys grabbed me.

"Curly, Sly, Two Bit, get er inta da alley." Red said talking to his
boys.